So Sweet

On a regular trip to Walmart, "the blue store" as Brigham likes to call it. I will do everything I can to avoid the toy section. Last weekend while I was killing time in the "red store" (Target) I decided to let the kids look at the trains. We had a ton of fun playing with different toys and browsing at all the fun toys for sale. As you can imagine, when it came time to leave I had to pry two screaming children away from the toy section and drag them screaming from the store. I knew beforehand that this would happen, but I was bored and needed to kill some time.
Well, I did a completely crazy thing today and gave in to Brigham's begging to go look at the trains again. I was not going to be purchasing him a train. I also did not want a replay of last Saturday, because I don't relish the idea of receiving the variety of looks I get from fellow store patrons. So, to make sure he understood that the train was staying at the store and not coming home with him I drilled him the entire way.
Brigham, where does the train stay?...... At the store.
Brigham will the train go to Brigham's house? ......No, it stays at the store.
Brigham, can you cry when mom buts the train back? ......okay.
If you cry when mom puts the train away, then we will not look at the trains again..... okay.
Well, knowing my chances were slim to none that I would escape without incidence I took Brigham to the "blue store" to look at trains and do some shopping.

What happened? you might ask........Well, drum roll please.............
It worked. Well, for Brigham at least. Kaiya is another story. But, Brigham was so good. He just sat in the cart and asked to see different trains. I would hand the train to him. He would hold it for a minute and look at it and them ask me to put it back. After he had examined every train for sell, I said it was time to go. He said no, wait mom. Let me hold Thomas again. I said okay last time and handed him Thomas, dreading the fit I knew he was going to have when I put it back for good.
I loved what he did next. After hugging Thomas, he ever so gently kissed him and said "good-bye Thomas" he gave Thomas one more hug and put him back on the shelf. I thought is was so sweet; It melted my heart.

Who Needs a Teddy Bear???

Yup! Some kids sleep with Teddy Bears......Brigham prefers trains. Go figure.

Wanrhodes Cabin

Yum.....Snow.....

Mom, help

I can't see....it's too bright!!!!

AHHH! That's better.

Thanks for the glasses mom.

We spent Valentine's Day weekend with Travis and Karla at her family's cabin in Wanrhodes. It was super fun. The cabin is in a remote area so we got to drive snowmobiles for about 30 minutes just to get to the cabin. It was well worth the trip. The snow had freshly fallen and the views were incredible. I loved being the only people around with huge fields of snow to snowmobile through. The weekend passed with yummy meals, fun games, reading, and of course playing in the snow. Brigham and Kaiya LOVED the snowmobiles. Brigham spent most of the time wanting to ride the "Snow-bo-biles" again. And let's just say the Kaiya was very difficult to pry off when her turn was over. Yummy!

After playing in the snow there is nothing

better than Hot Chocolate and Cheerios!Thanks Caleb and Trav

for cooking up some sausage

and pancakes for breakfast.

Definitely a better idea than

SPAGHETTI!!

(sorry inside joke...I couldn't help it)

A couple of cuties

reading and

toasting their buns by the fire

Thanks for the Great Weekend Travis and Karla!

PS: Sorry we ran your snowmobiles out of gas on the way back to the cars. That became a fun adventure in and of itself. It was all that extra luggage Caleb and I brought. I guess you could say we seem to have a knack for making the "rough'n it" a whole lot rougher. :)

"Snowmans Broken"

Say Cheese! Then we will go play in the snow..... amazing it worked.

Don't you love how his hat makes his cheeks extra chubby?

On February 8th we played out in the snow for family night. Caleb helped the kids build a snowman. After we got it finished Brigham decided to knock the snowman down. (Sorry little Frosty). Poor Kaiya didn't know what to do. For the next few minutes she kept picking up pieces of snow handing it to Caleb or myself and saying "snowmans broken." Apparently she was a little more attached to Frosty than Brigham was.

"Snowman's Broken"

By the way...

Caleb added another post on his blog. Check it out sometime.

Thanks to a Fantastic Aunt

My fantastically talented Aunt made some blankets for my children. They are very fond of their new "Elmo" and "Wilbur" blankets. Thanks Susan. I know these blankets will be well loved.

After I took some photos of the kids playing with their new blankets I had fun playing with the camera. I couldn't resist adding this picture of Brigham's face. It cracked me up.

My Little Classified

Free to a good home. One adorable 3 year old male toddler. Occasionally well-mannered and often well-behaved. Currently acquiring potty training skills. Comes attached to a small blue train named Thomas. Filled with an extra dose of giggles, hugs and kisses. If interested call

1-800-Bri-gham.

I walked into my living room and discovered that Brigham had pulled the cushions off the couch and was fake sleeping. Apparently he was not only tired but cold, so he covered himself with a newspaper. I thought he looked so cute. When I asked him if he was a little homeless toddler he said "yes." Apparently he is in the market for a new mom. :)

Thing One and Thing Two

Thing 1 and Thing 2

The PerpetratorsThe Temptation

The Victims

I used to think Thing 1 and Thing 2 were just Dr. Suess characters, but my children have brought them to life. Here is one of many examples. I was at my mom's house (I went to check on a CD I was burning; I swear it was less than five minutes) and Brigham came running up the stairs yelling excitedly. When I realized what he was yelling and saw the painted face and shirt, my heart stopped. "Mom, I painted my trains." He and Kaiya had a hay day painting their trains, hair, my mom's floor, and their faces. I do believe they even did a little taste test since they each had paint smeared around their mouths. Apparently Brigham has learned to unscrew lids. If I had known this I don't think I would have left the paint from my craft project on the counter top. Needless to say, I cleaned up the mess and recalled some of the other "incidents" so far this year.

I have decided they are either getting all the damages out in one big swoop, or I am in for and unforgettable (and slightly expensive) year.

Gosh, isn't anyone watching these kids??????

Some Other Damages....

1. Over fifty knife stabs/slashes in my new arm chair (My only clue to this one is the chair happened to be Brigham's naughty chair....he later informed me it was broken, so he could no longer sit in it...)

2. Broken glass panels in my decorative lantern (Children playing "Timber" with my decorative trees...Kaiya decided my lantern was close enough to a tree and knocked it over)

3. Large rip in Kaiya's dust ruffle (Brigham helping my vacuum his room)

4. Ink scribble marks on the ceiling, driver's seat headrest and toddler car seats in my car (I let the kids play in the car to keep them from running into the street while I painted a nightstand in the driveway; I didn't think to check for pens inside)

5. Painted Thomas Trains and my mom's kitchen floor (sorry mom)

Knowing my children and their mother, more damages are sure to come. My only hope is that much like the end of the "Cat in the Hat" book, everything turns out fine.

Chinese New Year

Caleb and I were planning on eating Hot Pot for Chinese New Year. Since I ended up being in Reno for the holiday I made it for my family. While living in Taiwan I was not too big of a fan of this meal, but since moving back to the states it has become one of my favorite traditions.

AHHHHHH!!!

I started Potty Training Brigham today. Need I say more???

Happy Birthday World's Greatest!

Happy Birthday Dad,

I am so lucky to have such a great dad. I grew up with people always telling how much they admired my dad and how lucky I was to have him for a father. The older I get the more I know it is true. More than just providing my basic needs he made me feel loved, makes me laugh and still teaches me so much. He family is a top priority in his life. He spends much of his time serving others, and is one of my life heroes. Here are two of the many reasons I love him so much.

Twenty years ago I made him a necktie and puffy painted the words "Worlds Greatest Dad" on it; It is the ugliest tie you have ever seen. He still wears it without fail every Father's day.

On Valentine's day when I was in tenth grade he walked into my high school science class with a vase of flowers singing "You are me Sunshine." He still tracks me down each year to sing that song to me.

As I give my children "Horsey" rides around the house I catch myself singing The Old Grey Mare" song he often sang to me on my "Horsey" rides 30 years ago.

These are a few examples that came to my mind when I was writing this post, and there are too many examples to post. But I love my dad. He is the best dad in the world to me and I hope he has a Happy Birthday!